How-To Video for the Spaceman Soft Serve Gravity Machine (SSG) Video

The first step to cleaning your soft serve machine is draining the product. First press the reset button to stop the freeze function. Press the wash button to dispense product from the freezing cylinder in the hopper. Dispense all the product. Then add cold, clean or sanitizer water. You should use a brush to help thoroughly clean the inside area and remove debris. Drain the water. Rinse and repeat. You can continue this process until the water is flowing out of the dispensing door clear.

Now we'll disassemble the machine. First switch the power to off or press the reset button. Next remove the dispensing door. Remove the dispensing door assembly from the cylinders. And disassemble the dispensing door by first removing the bearings from the door assembly. Remove the gasket from the door assembly using the O-ring removal tool. Remove the prime plugs and the prime plugs O-rings. To remove the handles, first remove the retention nut and then slide out the retention pin from the handles. Then remove the draw handles, pushing down first to pop up the draw valves. Then pulling out. Remove the draw valves and twist while removing to prevent damage to the O-rings. Note the center valve has an H-style O-ring. Remove the O-rings. You can use the O-ring removal tool if it's helpful. Next, rotate the star cap so that the tabs are accessible, and snap off the caps. Now remove and disassemble the beater assemblies. Take the beaters out of the freezing cylinder. And remove the blades from the beater assembly. Remove the drive shafts from inside the cylinder using a dry towel. If you're unable to fit you arm into the cylinder, you can use the provided drive shaft removal tool. Separate the gasket from the drive shaft. Remove the front drip tray. Remove the side internal drip tray. Now wash the machine. Verify the power switch is in the off position and use the large provided brush and cool water to thoroughly clean the inside of the cylinder. Use a brush to clean the inside of the drive shaft bearing. Removing the lubricant and debris from the back. Clean the back well. Gently clean and wipe down the outside of the machine. Use one of the provided brushes to clean out the inlet hole in the hopper. Ensure all external surfaces on the machine are clean and then you can wash the parts.

Now, we'll reassemble the machine. Never force the installation of any parts. First, we'll install the drive shaft seal. Put the gasket onto the drive shaft and lubricate. Pack lubricant into the gasket and up the length of the drive shaft, but don't get lubricant on the top key area or the square area. Insert the drive shaft into the rear shell bearing at the back of the cylinders and turn until the key engages firmly into the socket. Gently place both scraper blades on to the beater assembly. And then insert the beater assembly into the freezing cylinder. Rotate the beater until it engages the drive shaft and no longer turns.

Dispensing door assembly. First, we'll install the O-rings on the prime plugs. There's two O-rings per prime plug. Next, we'll install the O-rings on the dispensing valves. Start with the side valves, which have two O-rings each and the move on to the center valve with the H O-ring. Coat all O-rings with spaceman lubricant prior to placing in their position. Put the prime plugs into the prime plug holes. And then place the valves into the valve holes. Starting with the center valve so that you don't forget where it goes. You can use your finger as a guide to allow room for the handles to go in later. Rotate the valves while pressing in so as not to cause damage to the O-rings. Set the draw handles into the slots on the dispensing door and valve area with the adjustment screws on the handle facing down. Slide the retention pin through the draw handles and secure with the nut. Fit the door gaskets into the grooves on the back of the door. Flat side out. These go on one way only. Then you can slide the beater guides over the beater rods with the flanged edge against the door. Snap the star caps on to the bottom of the dispensing door. Insert the dispensing door assembly into the cylinders, beater rods first, pushing the handles all the way up as you insert. Secure the door assembly in a cross pattern using hand screws, with the long hand screws on top. Coat the inside of the agitators with spaceman lubricant and install with the arrow pointing up. Place the front drip tray on the front of the machine and the side internal drip tray on the side of the machine.

Sanitation. Pour a food grade, no rinse sanitizer solution into each hopper and then turn the power switch on. Press the reset button, and then press the wash button. Allow the solution to agitate for 5 to 10 minutes. While agitating, gently use a clean brush to scrub and distribute sanitizer solution along the hopper walls. Place the bucket below the door and then open the prime plugs to rinse that area. Then open the draw valve to drain all the product from the freezing cylinder and the hopper area. Make sure to drain all the product in the machine. Press the reset button to stop the wash cycle.

Adding the product. Only use a product that has been manufactured specifically for soft serve machines. Ensure the product is thoroughly mixed and refrigerated prior to adding to the hopper. Place a bucket below the dispensing door and add a bit of product to the hopper. Then pull the draw valve down to purge out any sanitizer that's left. Pour the remaining product into the hopper. Then, raise the prime plug on the top of the dispensing door until the flow is 100% product. This sets the product level in the freezing cylinder. Push the prime plug back down and install the air tube in the hopper with the inlet hole on the side of the air cove at the bottom. Freezing product. Press the reset and then the freeze button. The motor will begin to agitate the product and the cooling system will begin. Freezing product may take up to 10 minutes. When the product reaches the set viscosity it is ready to dispense.